After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

"This humble woman knows her crime," said Lady Su, prostrating herself on the ground.

"Do you know where you've gone wrong?" Consort Cao then sat up straight, her eyes coldly fixed on the foolish woman kneeling before her.

This was the first time Gu Qingya had ever seen her mother kneeling so humbly before someone.

Only then did she realize how incredibly foolish she had been.

Even though she was the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion, in the eyes of the royal family, she was nothing more than a servant.

Princess Xiangyi wanted to marry her elder brother and was kind to her, so she thought she was special.

Looking at Consort Cao's demeanor, this is true arrogance, looking down upon all living beings.

With the crown prince's ascension to the throne, she became the most honored woman in Southern Xia.

At this moment, Gu Qingya became even more determined to marry Prince Xuan.

"Guards, take Miss Gu out." Consort Cao's eyes flashed with displeasure when she saw Gu Qingya's trembling body.

Two palace maids came in and dragged Gu Qingya out.

Rong Yingluo watched from behind the gauze curtain as Gu Qingya, whose face was ashen, was dragged away, her eyes narrowing.

Consort Cao and the Empress were truly two completely different people.

One is aloof and superior, the other is approachable and friendly; they are worlds apart.

She carefully examined Consort Cao's face and found that she indeed had an ambitious and mean-spirited appearance.

With slightly upturned corners and phoenix eyes that seem to pierce through people like sharp arrows, this kind of person is not easy to get along with.

The hall quickly fell silent.

"Speak," Consort Cao uttered a single word.

"I failed to kill Rong Shi, which is why I didn't receive her dowry." Su Jingyi's body also began to tremble.

I never felt this much pressure in front of the Empress Dowager before.

You didn't kill Rong Shi, fine, but you dared to let your son steal Rong Shi's dowry to gamble without my permission.

Rong saw this at Baibaozhai, which ultimately led to Gu Ce and the Fourth Prince shutting down the Tiandi Gambling House.

"How are you going to compensate me and the Crown Prince for this loss?" Consort Cao looked at Su Shi on the ground as if she were trash.

"Your Highness, that Rong family is really too difficult to deal with."

She was a master of poisons, and every time the court lady tried to poison her, she managed to evade it.

But don't worry, she will die in three months at most.

"I have already given her a bone-corroding powder, which was given by Concubine Feng in the manor, without Rong Shi discovering it." Madam Su hurriedly claimed her credit.

"Are you sure?" Consort Cao was taken aback.

"I'm certain. Aunt Feng's life is still in my hands. She wouldn't dare lie to me, or she would die." Madam Su said with certainty.

Upon hearing this, Rong Yingluo's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"What brings you to the palace today to see me?" Consort Cao's gaze softened slightly upon learning that the poisoning had been successful.

She had people investigate the matter of Rong's poison, but they couldn't find anything.

Rong grew up in the capital and never apprenticed under any master of poisons, so it's unknown where she obtained the poisons.

She wanted to take action against the Rong family, but for some reason, it seemed that the Rong family was being specially protected. As soon as her people made any further moves, they would be killed. After losing some people, she stopped.

The Rong family donates millions of taels of silver to the national treasury every year, which she guesses must be the Emperor's doing.

"Your Highness, I beg you to save me. I have been tricked by Rong Shi. I am too ashamed to face anyone." With tears in her eyes, Madam Su gently removed the hairpin from her head.

Consort Cao was shocked when she saw it: "What happened to your hair?"

"It was Rong who did it. I poisoned her, and this is her revenge against me." Su was already well aware of Rong Yingluo's abilities. She recalled how Rong was able to make so many people fall into hallucinations in such a short time at the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet.

None of the poisons given to her by the imperial concubine had such a powerful effect.

"Someone, please bring Granny Jiang here." Consort Cao stared at Madam Su's head for a while before looking away. Such a miraculous poison actually exists in this world.

The palace maid responded and went to fetch someone.

Rong Yingluo didn't understand why Consort Cao would hire a nanny surnamed Jiang.

Soon, an elderly woman, about fifty years old, hurried in.

Judging from her walking posture, Rong Yingluo judged that this person had some martial arts skills.

Consort Cao came from the Duke of Fuguo's mansion. Although the Duke of Fuguo's mansion abandoned martial arts for literature, it still had some foundation. It was normal to assign Consort Cao a nanny who knew martial arts.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine." Granny Jiang curtsied.

"Granny Jiang, take her pulse and see what kind of poison she's been given," Consort Cao ordered.

Granny Jiang knelt down and took Su's pulse.

He didn't withdraw his hand until half an hour later.

"Your Highness, I can't tell from the pulse what kind of poison the Duchess has been poisoned," said Granny Jiang truthfully.

"Then why is her hair almost all gone?" Consort Cao pointed to Lady Su's head.

Granny Jiang was taken aback.

Su only showed it to Consort Cao once before immediately putting the hairpin back on, so Granny Jiang didn't see it right away.

Su took off the hairpin once again.

Granny Jiang's eyes widened in disbelief: "This, this, this is caused by poisoning?"

"Please, Granny Jiang, help me! I've been poisoned for over two months, and my hair has fallen out like this." Madam Su said as if she had grasped at a straw.

The poison in her possession was given to her by Consort Cao. She was certain that Granny Jiang could help her detoxify, so she refrained from seeking out Consort Rong.

Granny Jiang examined Madam Su's scalp more closely: "Madam, this is clearly alopecia areata, not poisoning."

Based on the pulse diagnosis and the appearance of her scalp, Granny Jiang could not detect any signs of poisoning.

"How could a woman like me get alopecia areata? Only men get that kind of disease. I was poisoned, and Rong Shi herself admitted that she did it. It was all to get revenge on me for poisoning her." Su Shi's heart was about to turn cold. How could Granny Jiang not see that she was poisoned? How could she possibly cure her?

Oh no, she's not even forty yet, does she have to live with a hairpin on her head for the rest of her life?

But that thing also needs to be secured. Once she no longer has any hair on her head, there won't be a place to secure it, and she won't be able to wear the hairpin anymore.

Thinking of this, Su Shi became completely dejected.

Was she left with no choice but to beg the Rong family?

"Madam, this old servant has been studying poisons for decades, not just a day or two, and I have never seen this kind of poison before." Granny Jiang was very confident in her abilities.

She was once a notorious poisoner in the martial arts world. Because she harmed many people with her poison, she was hunted down by a group of people and had to change her identity to hide. She has been hiding for more than 20 years.

She is very content with her peaceful life over the years.

"Granny Jiang, the poisons you gave me are all very effective, but how come you can't cure such a simple poison? Do you not want to cure me?" Madam Su had already lost her temper and grabbed Granny Jiang's hand, refusing to let go.

She didn't want to bow down to the Rong family. She had been the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo for nearly twenty years. To ask her to bow down to her daughter-in-law would be to slap herself in the face.

"How dare you!" Consort Cao shouted angrily.

Startled, Lady Su released her grip: "Your Highness, I beg you to save me! I do not wish to face the world with this appearance. How can I ever go out in public again?"

Seeing Su's pained expression, Consort Cao felt a chill run down her spine.

She believed that Su's words were not false.

How could that Rong family member possess such potent poison? Did she make it herself, or was it provided to her by someone else?